A Star Forgotten, A Star Sought
by Shadow Master
Summary: (BtVS/LotR) Fate. Destiny. In some cultures these words are considered absolutes. Inevitable events that will occur regardless of the wishes of the person they are attached to. However such things can be changed by the simplest of changes and so a path unwritten rises to fill the void left by one unexpectedly fallen. Will it be for good or ill? Let's find out.


"A Star of Forgotten, A Star Sought" by Shadow Master

(BtVS/LotR)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and associated companies. I make no profit off of this whatsoever. I write because there are those who enjoy reading my works and because I have fun writing them. So please before you consider filing a lawsuit against me please keep in mind that you won't get enough from me to even cover your legal fees.

Note: All that I know of the LotR universe I learned from the Pete Jackson movies and the various wiki pages available on the internet so I wish to say I am sorry in advance if you find any errors, inconsistencies or other such mistakes when you read this work. However I would ask that you overlook these errors and try to enjoy the story nonetheless. If you must email me or point out an error I would ask at the very least that you suggest how I might correct the error without changing too much of the existing story. In other words alter story just barely enough so that the things mesh sufficiently so that I may move on with my work.

PS- To any fanfic author who reads this I can only say: I DARE YOU TO DO BETTER. This is not meant to be angry or arrogant but rather a sign of frustration since after much looking I've found out that there are practically no good BtVS/LotR crossovers with Xander as the central character. There are plenty of ones with Buffy as the main BtVS involved and other members of the female cast of BtVS but very few if any with Xander leading the way. It's one of the reasons I'm writing this fic and I personally hope I can inspire others to follow my lead.

_A Star Forgotten, A Star Sought_

_**A Distant Place, A Distant World**_

"Is it true?" she asked as she looked out across the treetops that covered the land beneath the chiseled cliff face on which she stood.

"Yes. He was slain leading a task force of Gondorian soldiers against the Captain of the Havens in Umbar even as he ended the filth's life," her son-in-law replied, his voice thick with grief and grim tones.

He did not need to say what this meant for their world for long had she known through her mirror what was required for the free peoples of land to prevail against the stretching darkness. Indeed, since the day their ally fell victim to the bewitchment of what he carried they had made plans to ensure his dark choice did not become the doom of all. Long, even as their people reckoned time, they tried to guide others towards unity even as they acted to hold the Enemy at bay. However as time had passed it became clear that it would not be their people who vanquished the darkness for good and that it would be another race that would claim final victory. Of all the peoples it was believed that only one held the greatest potential for that and only their leader who could unite all peoples under a single banner of hope. Thus had they chosen to protect the bloodline and do all they could to keep it safe until such time as the Enemy once again began to stretch forth its hand to conquer all.

For the most part the bloodline they protected had lived up to their destiny well, even though it came close to ending on numerous occasions. However it was the most recent leader of their chosen people that concern was born since the man seemed unusually reluctant to accept his destiny. They had spoken with him about it on numerous occasions and the single theme that came up repeatedly was that he feared that the weakness of his infamous ancestor would also prove to be his. The leader of men had made it clear that he would oppose the Enemy and his forces to his dying breath but bade them find another to unite the peoples of their world.

Find someone who did not have the weakness of their predecessor in their blood.

Whenever they could they tried reassure him that he would not suffer the same fate as his ancestor, that he would overcome the darkness that approached, but he would not listen to anything they said. Nevertheless they had still believed that with what time they believed they had left they could wear him down until he saw his future as they did.

Now they would not get that chance.

"The line is ended. With it extinguished so too is the one hope we had of ending the Enemy once and for all," her son-in-law said, sounding all too certain of his words.

"What would you have us do then?" she asked, seeking to weigh his answer against her own inclinations.

"As I see it we have but two choices: stay for as long as we are able to slow the Enemy's advance, hoping that another source of light may be born in time, or begin withdrawing across the sea," her son-in-law replied, his tone making it clear he did not believe much in the former.

Thinking on his words, she found that it was not unreasonable to see things so for he had been there when their ally had failed to seize the opportunity that presented itself so long ago. Long had the one who wielded one of the Three held a silent grudge against the chosen bloodline for what happened on that day so very long ago. Though kept within his mind, she knew her son-in-law had always been wary of that weak man's descendants following a similar path and so had done all he could to prevent it. When the one who had been their hope had turned his back on his destiny, though, it appeared that unless that choice was reversed, the chosen bloodline would fail the free peoples once again.

Now there would be no reversal to be seen but rather a cold grave within the ground in which their hope would lay for all time.

Closing her eyes, she stretched forth with what power she possessed in the hopes of finding something or someone to believe in; someone who could keep the flames of hope alive and perhaps one day see all that she wished come to pass. So much did she desire to find a light to place her hopes upon that she dared tap into a power only to be used in matters true urgency, even though she knew the man behind her would object to this action. Just as she sensed him about to bring a halt to her efforts, her prayers were answered as a vision sent by one whom she had not seen since the day she had first left for her current home.

What she saw both puzzled her and caused great hope to swell within her.

The vision showed her a strange land populated greatly by the race of Men whose minds had given birth to creations both great and terrible. It was in this world, in a place mired in darkness, that she was shown a light that called to the part of her that wished for a light to destroy the darkness. This light she found came from a source similar to their recently perished hope but at the same time was different enough to perhaps stay the course that may be set before him. It was as she looked deeper to see if the young man who emitted the light from within possessed some connection to the realm in which she dwelt that the truth made itself known much to her great surprise.

He was the descendant of her kin, of one thought lost forever, and though the link was too thin for him to bear any physical signs of this connection, it was unmistakable.

_Is it the intent of this vision to provide us with a possible substitute for Aragorn?_ she thought with growing hope in her heart.

The vision continued and gave her glimpses of the young man's life and, while she saw much hardship, the one who held her attention remained remarkably free of evil's taint. He fought creatures as foul as any orc even though he lacked the proper training and was a true friend to those that had proven themselves worthy of the title in his eyes. Indeed she could see many qualities that she approved of in the young man so, when the vision ended and her mind returned to the outer world, she knew she had much planning to do.

"Artanis? Is something wrong?" Peredhil asked with some concern.

"No… in this our darkest moment, I have been given a vision of the West and see now a means by which the darkness may yet be turned back," she replied cryptically since she did not wish to say anything dangerous before her planning was finished. "I presume you sent the Gwenyn to retrieve the Ring of Barahir as well as the other items of value?"

"Of course. It would hardly do for the heirlooms of the line of kings to fall into the hands of those who would abuse them," Peredhil replied as though only an idiot would forget to do something so important. "However I fail to see how they can be anything more historical artifacts… unless you have found a new purpose for them. Have you?"

"Perhaps," was all she said before she walked away to find the pieces that would best suit the needs of her plan.

Walking down the paths of her realm, she devoted half her mind to thought and the rest to getting her body to where she wanted to go. Already one element of her plan was decided on but she knew that using it carried with it great risk, especially if the Enemy learned of her intentions. Indeed, unlike the vast majority of the peoples of Middle Earth, she knew that the second-in-command of Morgoth was paving the way for his return. He moved slowly, quietly, intent on ensuring that none suspected the true depth of the threat that crept towards them until it was far too late. She would like to believe that the Lord of Mordor would not risk exposing the truth to interfere with her plan but she knew that the Doorway was something He would want to possess.

Something that would allow Him to expand his dominion beyond the borders of this world.

A force would need to be gathered, small in number but great in skill and power, to both defend the Doorway and pass through it in order to retrieve the one who would renew the hopes of many. Mithrandir would of course be one and the Twins would likely not pass up a chance at playing a role in such an adventure. The Rangers would also need to be included for, if things went as she hoped they would, it would be they that would acclimate the young man to the ways of this world. Halbarad was a likely choice given how close he and Aragorn were before Estel joined the armies of Gondor. Lastly it would be wise to include the Prince of Mirkwood, given his ties to Aragorn and skill in archery that the young elf possessed.

Yes, such a group would do nicely.

_Still, there is much that needs to be taken into account,_ she thought as she reached the library which only she and her husband had access to. _We cannot fail in this. The free peoples of this world depend on its success._

With that in mind she closed the door and locked it before walking to the section of the library containing the information she needed. Much research was needed if she was to learn the proper method to adjust the Doorway so that it would take her allies where they needed to go.

Much research indeed.

Quickly yet quietly did the Lady of the Woodland Realm work to gather what she would need to see her plan through to the desired conclusion. Some items existed within the borders of her lands. Others existed in the realms of Man and Dwarf but it was the items that could only be found in lands occupied by allies of the enemy that carried the greatest risk in acquiring. While the Enemy might not perceive her intentions immediately, the ruler of Lothlorien knew He would discern the truth eventually.

Hopefully too late to thwart the one hope of the light in its battle against the rising darkness that came from the east.

Agents as stealthy as they were skilled went into the lands of the enemy using whatever means available to keep their identities secret and their purpose unknown. Sadly, even for people such as these fine agents, they could not be expected to account for everything and so it was that word of trespassers passed from soldier to officer and from officer to commander. Up the chain of command it went until it reached the Lord of the Dark Tower, who pondered the meaning of these unwelcome 'guests'. He knew that the fools who sought to oppose him were up to something and as always he laughed at their efforts for none could oppose him indefinitely.

It was only when he contacted the agents that existed beyond the borders of his land that he began to see that there was more to the actions of the foolish elves than he'd first thought. With greater attention than before he sought answers and it was as the new month began that he found what he sought to his great pleasure.

Something great had happened.

Something great enough that the witch of the woods dared to use the Doorway that her kind had expended such effort in the past to keep out of his reach.

Their desperation would serve him well.

_**Summer, 2980 of the Third Age, Peredhil's POV**_

"You have gathered a great many people here, Artanis," he said as he looked at those sitting around the porch where he often held important meetings. "Are you ready to divulge the reasons for your actions these past months?"

"Indeed I am, son-in-law," The Lady of the Wood replied after a moment's contemplation. "As you all know Aragorn, son of Arathorn, was slain leading a task force of Ecthellion against the pirates of Umbar. Great was the sorrow we felt at this news for it had been the hope of all who knew of his bloodline that he would one day unite the kingdoms of Arnor against the rising darkness. It was then, when all seemed lost, that I was sent a vision by those who dwell past the western sea directing my gaze to one who might keep the flame of hope alive."

"A vision? From Valinor?!" Mithradir said with great surprise for few were the words that came from the West. "What did they show you?"

"They showed me another world where Men ruled the land surrounded by creations akin to sorcery but were in fact machines. In this world a light familiar flickered and, when I sought its source, I found a young man no more than eighteen summers old," Artanis replied as she told all what had happened. "An ordinary member of the race of Men he appeared but for within him shone the light of one who once ruled the Golden Wood before me: Nimrodel."

"But she died over a thousand years ago!" he exclaimed, unable to believe what he had been told.

"She vanished over a thousand years ago, Peredhil. We merely believed that she had perished after a certain period of time when no one encountered so much as a sign of her continued existence," the Lady of the Wood pointed out as she examined the reactions of the others. "I know not how she came to leave our world for this distant one but there is no mistaking that her blood flowed through the veins of this young man that the vision showed me. Thinned enough to leave no visible sign of his Elven heritage but still strong enough to possess many of the gifts bestowed upon the Numenoreans and their descendants.

"Yet these gifts I was shown were bound, letting only a trickle through to aid the young man. Despite this he fought against the unnatural forces of darkness that besieged his homeland, his loyalty to his allies and to their cause never wavering," Artanis said, continuing her explanation. "I saw enough of the young man's life to believe that through him we might still bring about the Enemy's final defeat."

Looking about at those gathered, he could tell that the tale had shaken them but at the same time had planted within them a small light of hope for the future. Yet there was caution there as well and he knew well the reason for this for he had come to the same conclusion as they likely had. There was only one way in all of Arnor by which they might cross the gap between one world and another but this method carried much risk. Not only did few possess the knowledge needed to use it but it was also a place that had long been hidden by Elven magic in order to keep it from the hands of the Enemy. Even if the Lord of Mordor had failed to notice Artanis' efforts, the ally of Morgoth would find it impossible to miss the ripples that would manifest upon the undoing of the obscuring spells.

Then matters would become most dire.

"What is your plan, mellonin?" Mithrandir asked as he stroked his beard in contemplation.

"I have gathered all that is needed to open the Doorway and adjust its course to the world we would journey to." The Lady of the Golden Wood turned her gaze to the wizard, "It is with the aid of all those present that I would journey there. Three would travel through to the new world to secure the young man's aid while the rest remained on this side to keep it safe. If fortune favors us it should take less than a few hours for us to accomplish our goal and return."

"At which point we would reseal the Doorway as best we can and reactivate the spells that would obscure it from His evil sight." he said, finishing what he presumed was his mother-in-law's plan.

She nodded, confirming this.

"But would these spells not be useless? Sauron would already know where this Doorway is located," Halbarad asked, trying to fully understand the plan set before him.

"The spells used to hide the Doorway were woven back during the First Age and possess far more power than any that have been cast since," he explained, recalling well what he knew. "While this plan would provide him with a general area in which to search, the spells would still be enough to cloud the minds of all those who would seek the Doorway save Sauron himself. The Dark Lord would have to leave Mordor and seek the location in person, something that he will not be able to do until he and the One Ring are reunited."

Indeed, so long as spirit of Sauron lacked physical form it could not move as freely as those who did. Only places where the lieutenant of Morgoth once held power could play host to the evil one's dark soul, none of which were close to where the Doorway lay hidden. Nevertheless it was during the time in which the spells lay dormant where the greatest risk lay for if the forces of the Enemy were to secure the Doorway before the spells could be reactivated it would fall into darkness.

"You believe we seven would be enough to accomplish this mission?" the Prince of Mirkwood asked, sounding unsure of the plan. "Should we not gather a larger force to defend the Doorway?"

"To gather in too large a number would be to risk revealing our intention to the enemy before we even reached our destination," Artanis said, showing her reasons for keeping the party small. "Only by slipping beneath His notice until it cannot be prevented does this plan have a chance at success. Will you lend yourselves to this venture?"

As he looked at the faces of the others, he was forced to consider his own feelings on what it was his mother-in-law wished for him to do. He would have to leave his realm in the hands of another and, while he had great faith in his people, it was not an easy thing for him to do. For many a century he had lived in Imladris as its lord and protector, rarely leaving its borders for any reason save for the maintaining of friendships and alliances. Yet with the death of his foster son Aragorn, matters had taken a dire turn indeed and, if one with such great wisdom and foresight saw hope, who was he to gainsay her? What other alternative did he have? Without a single ruler to bring the kingdoms of Men together there would be no force strong enough to stand against the forces of Mordor. Divided they would fall and his people would flee across the sea to the Undying Lands, leaving Middle Earth to its fate for they would not possess the power to defeat the Dark Lord.

No. This was a necessary action and he would see it done.

"I will go with you," he said, stating his decision for all to hear. "I would see your plan succeed."

"As will I," Gandalf said with resolve in his voice. "The race of Men must be reunited if there is to be any hope for Middle Earth."

"A secret mission to sneak past the eye of Sauron unnoticed, travel to another world and gain the help of distant kin." Elladan said with mock contemplation. "Sounds like—"

"—Fun!" Elrohir said, finishing his brother's statement. "You may count us among your allies in this, I'osi."

"You will need someone to keep those two focused on the task at hand," Prince Legolas of Mirkwood said, smiling a bit at what he'd implied. "You have my bow to use as you see fit on this journey."

"Well… if people who Aragorn held in such good standing would see this done, then I, too, will render aid however I can," Halbarad said, making the decision unanimous among the group.

"Then it is decided. Gather what provisions and tools you may require," Galandrial said as she rose to her feet., "We leave at first light tomorrow."

The group dispersed to do what needed to be done and to say what needed to be said to those who would not be accompanying them. Walking through the hallways of his House, he thought on what would come to pass were they successful in bringing the descendant of Nimrodel to Middle Earth. It would not be the same as what they'd intended, putting Isildor's heir on the throne of Gondor, but perhaps that would be for the best. He knew better than most the weakness of that bloodline and, while those that followed him had done much to atone for the grand failure of Elendil's son, the ghost of that day still remained with him. With this new hope, one descended from a Lady of the Golden Wood, perhaps there was a chance at a new beginning.

A beginning that would not end in failure.

_**Two Days Hence, Southwest of Imladris, Evening, Gandalf's POV**_

Sitting by the small fire started an hour earlier, he looked into the flames as he contemplated the task that lay before them.

It was not that he was having second thoughts concerning the mission Galadriel had placed them on but rather that success often depended on how much thought a person put into the venture. Given what could be gained or lost by opening the Doorway, it was his opinion that they needed to anticipate every possible turn of every possibility. Indeed the Doorway had many uses and some of them could prove devastating in the hands of the Enemy, both there as well as across the Western Sea. When the world was young it had been used as an emergency means of returning to Valinor should travelling by sea prove to be too slow. It was even thought to be capable of reaching into the past or the future if modified in the correct manner and it was for this reason that it was sealed away when the war against Morgoth began in earnest. To provide so foul a being a means of reaching the very heart of enemy territory would have dealt a serious blow to the forces of light. The only reason that the structure was not destroyed was because the power required to do so would devastate much of the region on levels too many to be counted

Now necessity was forcing them to unseal the ancient power.

Did the enemy know of their intentions now? It was impossible to say for certain. Both Elrond and Galandriel continued their efforts to conceal the locations of their Rings of Power but a group as varied and interesting as theirs could not go unnoticed forever. They travelled by the less used roads and crossed through country whenever possible in order to obscure their travelling from watchful eyes but those methods would only aid them so much. There were others that used similar means of getting to the places they wished to get to and some were not as discreet in who they told of what they saw as they should be. The senses of the Elves and an Istari reduced the risk of being seen by random eyes but it did not eliminate the risk altogether.

That there were ways to 'see' that did not involve using the eyes in one's head only added to the ways in which their movements could be tracked.

"Something bothers you, Mithrandir?" Legolas asked from the stone on which he sat.

"No, not really. I merely ponder how long we have before we are noticed," he replied before taking a puff on his pipe.

"We have been careful to obscure any tracks we leave and travel through areas few would make the effort to pass through," Legolas said with confidence in their efforts. "The enemy would be fortunate indeed to find us in spite of what we have done."

He nodded at that but did not overlook the possibility that luck would favor the enemy at some point in their journey.

"Luck or complacency, young Greenleaf," Lord Elrond said from his own wooden log of a seat. "We must remain vigilant and careful if we are to reach the Doorway without being seen. All our hopes rest on completing our task before the Enemy can do more than send out orcs from their strongholds."

Hearing footsteps approaching, all turned to see Halbarad walk out of the darkness of night, returned from his scouting of the immediate area. No signs of a struggle or of flight marred the ranger's features so he took this as a sign that nothing of concern occurred while the warrior of Man was away from camp.

"Nothing but trees and bushes and animals to be had out there," Halbarad said as he took a seat by the fire. "Nothing that does not belong there."

"Then our journey goes well," Galandriel said as she laid down to sleep. "We have not disturbed the world and therefore give nothing for the seekers to find. Pray that the rest of our journey fair as well."

"There is one matter I have been pondering since we left Rivendell," Halbarad said as he slowly ate a piece of bread. "Something that has not been discussed."

"Of what do you speak, mellonin?" Elrond asked with a partially raised eyebrow.

"We have made it our mission to travel to this distant world to find this heir of Nimrodel in an effort to use him as a rallying point for the kingdoms of Men," Halbarad replied with calm, steady words. "We have not discussed the possibility that he may refuse to aid us or that he may have no knowledge of Middle Earth. Lady Galadriel has told us that one we seek is so far descended from Lady Nimrodel that there are no outward signs of his Elven heritage. I do not pretend to know how many generations of mixing her blood with the race of Men that would take but I would wager at least half a millennia. There is a chance he may know nothing of this world and, if that is so, then what reason would he have to aid us beyond our words."

It was with surprise that he and the others realized that in their haste they had overlooked a crucial part of their plan. Halbarad's concerns were sound enough and truly what reason would Nimrodel's descendant have to leave his own world behind to become the king of a land he knew nothing of. Galandriel's vision implied that the man was of good character but even the noblest of Men required more than a realm in need to leave all they knew behind. For even if Sauron the Deceiver was successfully cast down and his forces scattered, Gondor would still need a king, especially if what he'd heard regarding Ecthellion's son Denethor was true. The tales he heard from Gondor spoke of a man rife with ambition yet lacking in either the wisdom or skill to see his goals become a reality. Instead he wasted lives and alienated the allies that could help the lands he would one day be charged with caring for when his father passed on. He dreaded the day Ecthellion died and his son rose to claim the role of Steward of Gondor for, with that ascension, he saw the past alliances growing sickly and weak. If the young man they sought agreed to come to their aid it would be decades at best before the bonds between the kingdoms were made strong once more.

Even then the obligations of the King of Arnor would keep him tied to Middle Earth for many more years afterwards.

How does one persuade a young man to leave behind all he knew to save a world he knew nothing of but where he would likely live out the long years of his life until death came to claim him?

"We will tell him of this world, of our lives and the lives of others, and let him know what will likely happen to our world if he refuses to aid us," Galandriel declared, gazing up into the starlit sky. "If even a shred of his ancestor's nobility remains, he will answer our call for aid."

With a sharp gaze at the Lady of the Golden Wood, he realized that it was her intent to play upon the young man's honor and emotions in order to gain his help. For truly what honorable soul could abandon an entire kingdom filled with people to a slow death at the hands of the servants of darkness simply because it was not the homeland he knew. He doubted very much that any within their party would divulge the entire scope of what the young man would be agreeing to, lest they scare him off. However they would press the urgency of their need and appeal to what nobility they could find in the young man in order to gain his help.

It left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth that they would use the young man's emotions and character to their advantage but he could not dispute the need of it. As much as he wished that the race of Men would prove capable of uniting without the presence of a king from a legendary bloodline, he had seen too much to the contrary in his long life to believe his wish would come true anytime soon. Perhaps one day when the peoples of Middle Earth realize their own individual worth rather than rely on the leadership of one man, but that would not happen any day soon.

"Let us hope that you are right," Elrond said with a somewhat cynical tone. "For all our sakes."

He stayed awake for another three hours before retiring for the night but, even as his mind began the journey into slumber, a feeling stirred within him that made him think that there was a storm on the horizon.

A storm that not all would see changed to clear skies at the end.

_**The Earth of the Powers That Be**_

_**Sunnydale, California**_

_**The Library of Sunnydale High School, Xander's POV**_

"That's the basic plan," Buffy said after laying out her grand strategy for dealing with the Mayor. "So… am I crazy?"

"Well 'crazy's' a strong word—" Willow replied, no doubt trying to buy time to formulate a more constructive criticism.

"Let's not rule it out, though," Giles said, having a bit more backbone when it came to speaking the truth.

"You don't think it can be done." Buffy said to her Watcher in a matter of fact tone.

"I didn't say that. I might, but I haven't yet." G-man said defensively, covering all his options.

"Okay, well, I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan." Cordy said, putting forth her opinion in her usual tactful manner.

"We attack the Mayor with hummus." Oz said, proving that there was a more psycho option to go with.

"I stand corrected." Queen C stated in perfect deadpan.

"Just keeping things in perspective," Oz explained without changing his expression one bit.

"Thank you. My point, however, is crazy or not, it's pretty much the only plan." Cordelia said, halfheartedly thanking the musician. "Besides, it's Buffy's and she's slay-gal, you know. Miss Like-to-fight, so—"

_Better cut her off before she digs herself any deeper,_ he thought as he prepared to open his big mouth. _We might not be a couple anymore but I still care about her. _"I think there was a 'yea' vote buried in there somewhere."

"Well, I need you all on board." Buffy said looking him right in the eye, "Especially you, Xander. You're kind of the key to this plan here."

This stunned him for a moment since it was usually Buffy that everything depended on when things got apocalyptic. Still, judging from the way she wasn't busting out with laughter and calling it a joke, he could only presume she was serious.

"Key? ME?" he asked, just to make sure he wasn't hearing things. "Okay, pride…humility….AND here's the mind numbing fear right on time. What do I have to do?"

"Do you remember any of your military training from when you became soldier guy?" she asked in a serious manner.

"Ooh! Rocket launcher?" he asked, already picturing himself unloading some rocket propelled explosive on Wilkins.

As good as that was, though, he didn't think it'd be enough to get the job done as far as killing the snakified Mayor of Sunnydale. As far as he knew, he only had two more rockets for the launcher and after that he was out of ammo. Unless those two hits were to the head he doubted that they'd be enough to do any fatal damage and that'd be tough what with it wriggling around outside the school. Unless someone managed to pin it down long enough for him to get a bead on the big ass demon, it'd be less than fifty-fifty odds.

"Rocket launcher's not gonna get it done," Buffy replied, apparently having come to the same conclusion earlier. "Took a volcano to kill one of these things last time."

_Point._

"Buffy, all of this is dependent on your being able to control the Mayor," Giles said, pointing out one flaw in his Slayer's plan. "How do you plan on doing that?"

"Faith told me I'd have to play on his human weakness," she replied with encouraging certainty. "That's the way I'm gonna get to him."

"Faith told you?" Willow asked uncertainly. "Was that before or after you put her in a coma?"

"After," Buffy replied without hesitation, no matter how nuts it sounded.

"Oh." Willow stated sounding a little more worried.

"The Mayor's weakness." G-man said, no doubt hoping for a little more factual clarification.

As the gang continued trying to flesh out the reed thin detail to Buffy's plan, he focused his efforts inward trying to think of a way to match the deadly force of a volcanic eruption. Nothing he could steal from the local army base would be enough, even if he somehow managed to load everything he could into Oz's van, so he needed to think outside the box. Fortunately for him the guy who'd shanghai'd his body the previous year wasn't the private he claimed to be but rather was a decorated Marine on account of the fatigues he'd managed to get from the army surplus store. The best slash worst part of that though was because the name on the fatigues had been rubbed off to the point of being impossible to read, he wasn't given any one Marine's memories but the sum total of every Marine from the beginning. He personally believed that was why some of the memories and know how stuck when everyone else lost everything within a few days. Dump information from hundreds of different people into his head, it wasn't hard to believe that some of it'd stick to his grey matter.

_Napalm? No. Too big a chance some of it'd splash on the audience._ _This has to be focused on Wilkins and Wilkins alone._

Possibility after possibility went through his mind and it was just as it sounded like the gang's pow-wow came to an end that he settled on homemade ferilizer bombs set up at precise points throughout the school. Add a couple of boxes of TNT 'borrowed' from a local construction site placed at ground zero for wherever Snakins was most likely be if Buffy somehow managed to control the asshole. He could rig it all up to a single detonator and the combined force of the blast would both utterly destroy the school as well as anything inside of it.

Win-win.

"Faith." Deadboy said, sounding like he had a moment of insight. Probably that only happened once a decade with the walking corpse.

"Faith. You think?" Buffy asked, immediately sounding in favor of the Souled One's idea.

Big surprise.

"At the hospital, he was grieving. Seriously crazed, and not just in a homicidal, I-wanna-be-a-demon way," Angel replied, sounding more in favor of his idea as he thought about it. "She's his weak link."

"Okay. Good. I can work with that," Buffy said, obviously thinking up some choice quips and one liners to push Wilkins' Faith button.

"We haven't an enormous amount of time," Wesley said, whose arrival had been completely unnoticed.

Not surprising considering Buffy had sent in her letter of resignation. Just about everyone figured the incompetent Watcher would be halfway back to the land of tweed by now, or at least back at his 'flat' packing his things.

"Hey! It's Mister States-The-Obvious!" he exclaimed with mock happiness and surprise.

"The Council isn't welcome here. I got no time for orders," Buffy said, putting to words what everyone except maybe Cordy was thinking. "I need someone to scream like a woman, I'll give you a call."

"I'm not here for the Council," Wesley said, sounding remarkably like a decent person. "Just tell me how I can help."

"Oh, you are SO classy." Cordy said, clearly overjoyed that the young Brit hadn't left and wanted to help. "Isn't he just so classy?"

"It's a start," Buffy said, showing minimal respect for the guy.

"So is there something I can do?" Wesley asked before a thought occurred to him, "Besides scream like a woman?"

"There's plenty. Chores for everyone," Buffy replied getting things back on track. "Okay, this is how it's going to lay out…"

From there they began to iron out the specifics of the plan, with the Slayer asking for his military input every once and a while at crucial parts of the plan. While normally he'd prefer to have a couple minutes to dig up more of his Halloween self's memories and kick butt knowhow, he knew they were on the clock to get everything ready.

"'Darkness will follow, the day become night…'" Wesley said, quoting a part of the info they'd managed to find out about the Ascension.

"An eclipse." Buffy said boiling down the words to the modern equivalent.

"Standard procedure during an Ascension," Wesley agreed since the Slayer's theory meshed well with what he knew.

"That puts me back in the game," Angel said sounding… minimally decent at that moment.

"Yes it does. I'll need you and Xander working in sync here." Buffy said before looking at him for an honest answer. "Can you guys handle that?"

"I'm still Key Guy right?" he asked, hoping Buffy hadn't just reassigned the important role to her undead ex-boyfriend.

"Right," Buffy said with a nod that wasn't hesitant at all.

_YES! Finally got one over on Deadboy! _"Great! Then Angel, in his non-Key Guy capacity, can work with me."

"What fun," Angel remarked with clear dislike.

"Hey! Key Guy's talking—" he said, going for that little extra twist of the knife.

"Oh, good, let's bicker!" Buffy said, immediately putting a stop to any arguments. "That'll work great. You're like little old ladies."

As much as he hated to admit it, Buffy was right. This was no time for him and Angel to go a few rounds trying to prove who the Alpha male was in this crisis. They needed to stay on task and get the job done or Sunnydale might wind up one big buffet table for the Mayor.

"How are we on Volcano detail?" Buffy asked, moving on to the other part of the plan.

"I got a few ideas but I might need Willow's help since the chemistry of it all is a bit fuzzy," he said, still trying to get the precise amounts and instructions clear in his head.

"No problem. If he's thinking what I think he's thinking, then I think I'll be able to help make everything work," Willow said, sounding a little confusing for a second there.

"Okay then let's get this show on the road," Buffy said as she turned to head out of the library. "Willow and Xander go to get the stuff they need for the home made volcano, Giles, I need you to get every weapon you can get your hands on NOW and the rest of you start reaching out to people. Clocks ticking, people!"

"What will you be doing?" Giles asked pulling on one little detail.

"There's something I need to get." Buffy replied before exiting the library without another word.

While he didn't like being kept in the dark, he trusted the Slayer. It was because of her that the world was still spinning.

Not that she didn't have a little bit of help from the rest of the Scooby gang but he accepted that if she had never come to Sunnydale things'd be a lot worse in his hometown.

"Alright, Willow! Let's do something I never thought I'd like doing as long as I lived," he said with a bit of glee at what he'd be making. "SHOPPING!"

For a moment his bestest bud looked at him as though he'd grown a second set of eyes but then shook her head in a clear 'whatever' gesture. "You seriously need more guy friends," she said with resigned honesty in her voice.

Reviewing what he'd said and considering how he'd probably looked, he had to agree his statement had been a little too girly.

_Oh well! Time to focus on getting the stuff for the biggest bang this town will ever see!_

_**Ten Miles West of Eregion, Sunset, Halbarad's POV**_

"It is almost time," Gandalf said while smoking his pipe.

While he wanted to say that it was about time, he knew better than to speak so to the rulers of Rivendell and Lothlorien. They were allies to be sure and had done much to aid he and his fellow Rangers in their efforts to combat the evils of Mordor. It was just that it had been early morning when they'd arrived at what to the naked eye appeared to be ruins, save for a single large plate of silver almost twice as tall as he was and wide enough that ten full grown men could stand shoulder to shoulder in front of it. He'd helped to clear the plants and the rocks from the area around it but after that only the Lord and Lady could handle the unsealing of the Doorway. In the beginning he'd thought it'd only take four or five hours to undo the protections placed upon it to keep it from the hands of the Enemy. However, with every hour longer that it took, he began to wonder if something was wrong and managed to keep silent for an additional four hours before politely inquiring as to the status of their efforts.

'All is proceeding as expected' was all he received in reply to his inquiry.

Thus he'd waited and now it seemed his patience was about to pay off.

Deciding that if the Doorway's unsealing was at hand, it would be best to take a quick look around the immediate area and perhaps lay a few traps for any unwanted visitors. The Twins were out in the wood somewhere keeping secret watch from the trees so that while a stranger might see Gandalf, Lady Galandriel and Lord Elrond, they would see nothing more than that. Putting his skills as a Ranger to work he slunk through the forest, using the trees and the bushes and the spots of tall grass to his advantage. He checked the ground as he went to see if there were any impressions to indicate the presence of anyone other than his party being in the area within the last eight hours. He examined the plants and the bushes and the trees for signs that they'd been pushed aside or damaged in a way that nature could not explain. Every dozen or so feet he even sniffed the air to see if the scent of orcs or goblins was in the air though this would be unlikely given that those foul creatures despised the sun.

_All seems quiet,_ he thought as he tied a strong branch into a curved position while using the longer end to make a tripwire.

Checking the sharpened pieces of wood tied to the branch, he found himself satisfied with them and moved on. He knew that wood was a poor match for steel but at the very least they would hear the clang of wood against armor, giving them a few seconds warning where sometimes there was none. If he was fortunate, a few of the weaker and less armored ones would be impaled on the spikes of wood, reducing the force that he had a feeling was on its way. Though he had hoped that their travelling party had remained unnoticed, just like the others had hoped, his time fighting the enemies of Man had caused him to believe that the darkness was growing in strength. Orcs fought with more cunning, creatures not seen in the North for hundreds of years had begun to appear and unexplained maladies had manifested that not even the wisest of his people could combat. Most dismissed these things as a passing thing that would not linger for long but he couldn't shake the feeling that matters would get much worse before it started to get better.

It was a little over half an hour before he returned to the edge of the Doorway and with a look to Mithrandir he told him that he'd found nothing to be concerned about in the wood. A nod of acknowledgment was what he received in return before both of their eyes turned to the Elves, whose voices were growing steadily stronger without becoming any louder. It was an odd thing to hear a voice that you knew had not gotten even a bit louder but still reverberated throughout the area like ripples in a lake. However it was when lines of white light began to flow towards the plate of silver like flame lit oil that he knew the moment had arrived for, that which was once sealed to once again be put to use. Once the light reached the plate it seemed to vibrate, like a sleeping giant being roused from a deep slumber, as a glow began to collect at its center but spreading outwards with every second. When at last white light covered the entire plate, the energy exploded outwards through the air, nearly knocking him off of his feet.

"It is done. The Doorway of Eru is once more alive with the power of the Elves," Lord Elrond declared, albeit with a bit of fatigue. "Now all that remains is to change its course to the place we desire and then we may depart. Presuming that we are not assailed before then."

"Have faith, Lord of Rivendell," Lady Galandriel said, showing herself to be a bit better at hiding her fatigue. "Neither you nor I have sensed the approach of darkness and, even if the Enemy dispatches forces immediately, it will still be hours before they arrive. We have time."

"Then we should decide who will be travelling to meet with the heir of Nimrodel and who will remain here to hold this side of the Doorway," he said, though he was prepared for either duty.

"Either Galandriel or myself must remain on this side of the Doorway in order to maintain the connection while the other will travel to the new world to ensure the connection is stable from the other side." Elrond explained as the Twins emerged from the forest.

"I will travel to the other side for I much desire to see the world my distant kin has called home for all his life." Galandriel declared with resolve that would not be denied.

"We will remain with adar to guard this side of the Doorway should agents of Sauron attack," Elladan said, looking about the immediate area. "It will not be easy as this place is not the most defendable place but—"

"—We will do what we can," Elrohir said, finishing his brother's sentence. "Halbarad's little traps should help a little. Very little in fact."

He couldn't help but glare at the two identical elves who carried between them a reputation for much mischief even though he knew they did not mean anything malicious with their words.

"Then it shall be Legolas, Gandalf and myself who will seek out Nimrodel's heir while the Lord and Lady maintain the Doorway's connection and the Twins defend this place from agents of the Enemy." He began to prepare himself for the task ahead, "With luck we will be back with the one we seek before they need let loose a single volley from their bows."

"And if we are not fortunate?" Elladan asked with humorous inquiry.

"Then I pray that you are as skilled with the blade and the bow as you are at making mischief because it will be up to you to hold our foes at bay long enough for us to return," he replied, not liking that possibility for it would not bode well for them at all.

Once both Galandriel and Elrond had recovered their strength they began to touch certain symbols in a pattern he could not predict. Indeed, if his eyes saw true, then the leaders of Elves actually passed some of their own bright luminescence into the symbols as they went. It was only with every second symbol touched though that he noticed a change in the plate that was the Doorway itself in the form of reflections with no corresponding object on this side of the silver plate. They were blurred beyond comprehension at first but, with every second symbol touched, clarity came over the reflections that made it easier to discern what they were. More and more did clarity come to them until he saw a stone road unlike any he had seen before, with a yellow line painted down the middle as if to divide it into two halves. Then he noticed what appeared to be a small town further down the road but there was a… darkness about the collection of buildings that made it difficult to see any detail.

Yet he could tell that it was daytime for the light of the sun was still present from the outskirts of the city outwards.

"It is no natural darkness that shrouds the town, Halbarad," Gandalf said as he fell into place beside the Ranger. "An evil as great as any Mordor born blankets it and, by Lady Galandriel's own words, creatures live there as foul as any Orc."

"Aye, and at least we know that Nimrodel's heir has the correct mindset where they are concerned," he said, recalling what the Lady of Lothlorien had told them days ago. "He will still need training, though, from both Ranger and Elf if he is to fill the void left by Aragorn."

"True, but not as much as would be required if he knew no more than a child the ways of war and the wild," Gandalf said looking at the bright side of the situation.

"I suppose you're right," he said, seeing the reason behind the wizard's words.

"There will be a period of transition without a doubt but we shall be there to lessen the hardship as best we can without treating him as anything less than a man," Gandalf said with words that made it clear that he would do what he could.

"You need not worry on that part where I am concerned, Gandalf Storm Crow," he said with a bit of a chuckle at what would be to come. "You can be sure that the Rangers and I will treat him no different than any other come to join our ranks."

"Now I didn't say you were to torture the young man, Halbarad," Gandalf said with mock concern in his voice.

They both had a good chuckle at those words and, if Nimrodel's heir proved to have a reasonable sense of humor, there'd likely be more than few good laughs in the future.

Whether they would be at the young man's expense or not, he'd decide that later.

_**Half a Mile Away, Hidden Amidst the Trees, Kraskos the Orc's POV**_

"It is time," he said as he looked through the pirate spyglass and watched four pass through the silver to what lay beyond it.

"We strike now?" his over eager second asked, looking like a needy grub.

"NO you fool!" he snapped, kicking the idiot to the ground, "We must wait until we are certain that those on the other side are nowhere near. Only then do we pass through the Doorway."

"Why? Why not simply slay the three elves and destroy the Doorway?" a minion asked with frustration at the complicated nature of what they did.

Complicated for all but the most cunning of Orc like he and it was for that reason that he had been given the honor of leading this force of the Dark Lord by the Witch-King of Angmar himself.

As for the minion, he answered the question in typical Orc fashion; he ran the potential problem through with his sword before dumping the corpse to the ground.

"It is the will of the Dark Lord that we seize the Doorway for him!" he growled at the others as they looked at him warily. "As for the Elves, only the two who control the Doorway are to be captured alive. Kill the rest. However we will wait; we will watch and when the time comes, we will use the gifts of Minas Morgul to pass unseen by the Elves. Anyone have a problem with THAT!?"

All of his remaining subordinates shook their heads, afraid of becoming the next one to be slain for questioning the orders of those above them.

_All we need do is wait._ He returned his gaze to the three elves, of which two would perish. _Then we shall approach them and they shall be no more aware of our presence than they are of death pressing its blade to their throats._

Indeed, while not as potent as the Ring of his Lord in concealing the wearer from the sight of all, it would be enough to hide their presence from one distracted Elf Lord and his two bodyguards.

Right up until they felt Orc fingers wrap around their throats!

_**Outside of Sunnydale High School, Graduation Grounds, Xander's POV**_

"Congratulations to the class of 1999. You've all proved more or less adequate. This is a time for celebration, so sit still and be quiet," Snyder said before snapping a finger at someone sitting on the left hand side. "Spit out that gum. Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker, Sunnydale's own Mayor, Richard Wilkins the Third."

"Nice little speech," he whispered to Buffy from behind her. "Really! Gets you right in the ass!"

The Slayer nodded in agreement just as Willow arrived to take her seat in front of him and Oz sat down beside him with everyone in their graduation robes. Looking down at the outfits, he had to wonder where the tradition came from that required they wear the tent-like articles of clothing. He was sure it was probably a Brit thing that the founding fathers just decided to run with but in his opinion this was one tradition that should be modernized.

"Am I late? Did we fight?" Willow asked, glancing about the area.

Buffy just shook her head at that and he wondered how his best bud could miss the fact that no one had their weapons out, Wilkins was still very human shaped and most importantly none of them were seriously bleeding just yet. Still, it was par for the course where the academic prodigy was concerned that she'd get so worked up about what was about to happen that the obvious slipped right past her.

Watching as the Mayor stepped up onto the stage, he wondered when exactly the Acension mojo was going to kick in. Personally he hoped it happened sooner rather than later because the waiting for something to happen had to be worse than the actual dealing with a giant demon snake.

"Well. What a day this is. It's a special day. Today is our centennial, the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of Sunnydale. And I know what that means to all you kids," Mayor Wilkins said before pause a couple of seconds. "Not a darn thing; Because today something much more important happens. Today you all graduate from high school. Today all the pain and the work and the excitement is finally over, and what's a hundred years of history compared to that?"

"My god… he's gonna do the whole speech." Buffy gasped in disbelief at what was happening before her.

"Oh, man!" Willow groaned in dislike. "Just ascend already!"

"Evil," Buffy added in order to get the last word on the topic in.

_Gotta say I agree with those two. _He winced at the idea of having to sit through an hour long speech just so he could slam an axe into the wannabe demon's head. _Hurry the FUCK up and turn into a demon snake already!_

"But you know what, kids? Maybe the two things are connected. Maybe you have a place in Sunnydale's history, whether you like it or not. It's been a long road getting here, for you and for Sunnydale. There's been achievement, joy and good times. But there's also been grief. There's been loss. Some people who should be here today, aren't," Mayor Wilkins continued to say, looking pointedly in Buffy's direction. "But we are. Journey's end. And what is a journey? Is it just distance traveled? Time spent? No. It's what happens on the way, it's the things that shape you. At the end of the journey, you're not the same. Today is about change. Graduation doesn't just mean your circumstances change, it means you do. You ascend to a higher level. Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing."

It was right about then that he knew the magic was starting because the light of the sun disappears as the eclipse G-man said to expect kicked in. Reaching beneath his robe, he grasped the handle of his axe for a moment to take comfort that the weapon that had never failed him in battle was close by.

"So as we look back on…" Wilkins said before something seemed to distract him for a moment, "…on the events that have brought us to this day…we…we must all…AHHHH!"

_Looks like it's showtime._

"It has begun. My destiny!" Wilkins declared, looking down at his three by five cards. "Little sooner than I expected. I had a whole section about civic pride, but… I guess we'll just get to the big finish!"

With those words the transformation took place rapidly, with the man's clothes tearing as a great deal more mass got added to the Mayor's form as he changed from a human to a snake King Kong would consider a worthy opponent. With a mighty roar Wilkins performed his first magic trick by making the less courageous among them soil their pants at the precise same time.

Not him, though. He'd had the foresight not to eat or drink anything for the last twelve hours so he was both bone dry and safe.

"NOW!" Buffy yelled, giving the command for her plan to begin.

As one the entire class rip off their graduation robes, revealing weapons of all varieties with each one capable of doing harm to the demonic.

"Flame units!" Buffy yelled, bringing Larry and a friend of his forward with flame throwers that they promptly unleashed on the giant serpent, causing the thing to recoil.

A nod from the blonde Slayer and he knew it was his time to give the orders.

"First wave!" he yelled causing the students in the front row with the projectile weapons to take aim. Grimacing as one of the students got eaten, he nevertheless stayed firmly on task.

"FIRE!" he yelled, causing the armed students to let loose a volley.

Not all the projectiles of death hit but he'd guess at a little over half managed to hit their mark.

"Xander!" came a cry from Oz causing him to look in the other direction.

Coming from the opposite end of the courtyard, a horde of vampires was on the approach, no doubt with orders to keep the audience and the students from getting away.

"Bowmen!" he cried as students armed with bows and arrows had the cloth wrapped tips lit aflame. "Fire!"

He had to grin a bit at the looks of surprise on the bloodsucker's faces. They'd come expecting sheep and now found themselves facing tigers. As the arrows flew, some vamps were destroyed instantly while others merely went into full retreat, trying to put out the fire on their clothes.

Then Angel appeared, closing the box and trapping his unsouled brethren in a fight between two fronts.

Believing that side of things to be handled, he turned back to the forces confronting the Mayor just in time to see Larry's flame thrower putter out. He was about to yell at the football player to pull back when the Mayor struck, lashing out with his scaled tail and sending the jock flying. Even from where he stood he could hear the sickening crunch of broken bone as the one time bully hit the ground. Even though he didn't particularly like the caveman, he did feel the guy's death and resolved to work harder to make sure no more people than necessary had to die here.

"This is not orderly. This is not disciplined!" Snyder snapped, pointing an angry finger at the Old One formerly known as Wilkins. "You're on MY campus, buddy, and when I say I want quiet—"

The former mayor quickly put an end to that tirade by eating the little tyrant in a single bite.

_Can't say I disapprove of that._ _The mini-Hitler deserved as much._

"Fall back! Get back!" Buffy yelled before turning to Willow, "Go."

"Good luck," Willow said before leaving their small command group.

"Xander! Take'em down!" Buffy ordered, pointing at the vamp horde to the rear of the courtyard.

"Everyone! Hand to hand!" he yelled after nodding an affirmative to Buffy.

Just like they'd planned out, every student that had been firing arrows at the Mayor dropped their long range weapons before taking out what they'd been issued for up close fighting. As one the group charged the rear of the courtyard just as the vamps had gotten the idea to try and use the students as hostages. Like two waves clashing together, the white hats and the black hats, as Giles would call them, slammed into each other with weapons, swinging or claws slashing. He let things go like that for a while, just to see how the fang faces would react, but as he started to see people go own he decided it was time to start dishing out orders.

"Right flank! Close on them! Close!" he ordered before noticing that no one was doing anything. "Jason, Doug, you guys are the right flank! Get moving!"

The two classmates of his rushed to follow his order and, not being filled with confidence concerning their odds of survival, he personally moved to support them. Bringing his double bladed Viking battle axe to bear, he started swinging, going for the legs first before going for the head while the undead corpse was down. When the vamps caught onto that he changed to shoving top of the axe into their guts and, while they were bent over, he cut through their necks before moving on.

The battle was just as messy and horrible as his Marine memories of battle were with people getting hurt all around him. He wished they'd had more time. He wished that he could've worked with the other people in the graduating class to make them more skilled with the weapons they'd been given. He wished… he wished that everyone hadn't been content to remain ignorant of the threats that lived in Sunnyhell right under their noses. If they had just pulled their heads out of the ground sooner there would be a lot fewer dead in the graveyards and maybe his bro Jesse might still be alive today.

Hearing the sound of something large scraping against stone, he took that as a sign that Buffy had successfully managed to provoke the Mayor into chasing her into the school. By his reckoning they had about a minute or two before she reached the library and dove out the back, so it was time to start getting people as far away from the school building as he could before the blast. He'd done his best with Willow to plan out the explosion like a professional demolition and explosives expert would but time had forced them to hurry things. By their reckoning most of the blast would be focused inward before it shot up through the ceiling but there was always the chance of shrapnel or debris reaching out and killing someone.

"PUSH! PUSH HARD! FORWARD!" he yelled at the top of his lungs before he led the effort locally to force the vamps to backpedal further and further away from the school.

They'd reached what was roughly halfway to where he wanted to go when the blast hit and his goal was proven to be the right call because accelerated debris rained down from the sky as well as from behind, striking people down as it hit. The debris wasn't picky about its prey, hitting human and vampire alike, injuring some while killing others in ways not seen outside of slasher horror movies. He got off lightly compared to the others, only getting a glancing blow off the side of his head but it was still enough to ring his bell and disorient him for a few seconds.

Seconds the vamp five steps in front of him used to knock his axe out of his hands and slam him to the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy bleeding you dry, punk!" the vampire said in their usual 'you lose, I win' tone of voice.

Before the member of the undead could make good on his threat an arrowhead sprung from its forehead and it was connected to a wooden shaft. Pushing the lobotomized vampire off of him, he looked to see who he had to thank for saving his bacon but, when he looked in the direction he figured the arrow had come from, he saw something that made him wonder if he'd been hit a little too hard.

_Is that an elf? _he asked as his eyes showed him a twenty-something man with long blonde hair standing on a rooftop across the street from the school, notching another arrow to his bow.

_**The Rooftop Across the Street From the School Courtyard, Legolas' POV**_

_What madness is this?!_ he asked himself as he aimed his arrow at another of the foul creatures assailing the brave innocents fighting for their lives.

It was the latest of a number of bizarre things that he had experienced since he stepped through the Doorway into the distant world. The moment the disorientation of travelling between worlds ended his senses told him a great many things about his surroundings and few were pleasing. He could smell a foul taint on the air that, while for the most part it was dark magic, there was also the scent of industry on the wind. In the past there had been villages near the woodland realm that had attempted to pull more from the land than was safe to take or invented things that left poisonous waste on the ground. When such things reached the ears of his father he would often send one of his respected advisors to the town to either discourage such ventures or provide a method more considerate of nature.

In this world, though, it appeared that there were few if any who would speak in nature's defense.

When he'd looked ahead to the town that was their destination, he did not need the experience or wisdom of Lady Galadrial to sense the miasma of unnatural energy that enshrouded all within its borders. Even within the troubled borders of his homeland he had never sensed such evil and it made him loath to get any closer to it. Nevertheless he had pledged his support towards the recovery of Nimrodel's heir and knew full well the consequences for Middle Earth should they fail in their task. Thus it was that once Lady Galadrial gave them a direction to travel he along with Gandalf and Halbarad made haste, for their window of opportunity was shrinking swiftly.

Once within the town it became clear that the garb the Men of this world wore was quite different from their own and this difference was garnering much attention. It had been Gandalf that had suggested that they leave the main roads of the town and travel through the alleyways between the buildings in order to become less noticeable. Halbarad had agreed, stating that strangers entering a town often drew the attention of the town guardsmen and the stranger the new arrivals were the more they were scrutinized. Such obstacles would only hinder their efforts and so his allies kept to the alleyways while he chose to take a more elevated route by climbing up the metal ladder on the side of a nearby building to reach the rooftops.

With the physical gifts found only in his people and honed through many years of training he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, using the lamp posts along the way to help in bridging the gaps too wide for him to jump. While this did attract some attention from those who saw him, he was gone from the area long before any could be called to obstruct him.

It was when the sky darkened and what sunlight that could pierce the blackness that entombed the town vanished that he knew that the level of danger his party was in had just surged forth. Looking up into the sky, he could see the moon of this world moving to obscure the sun and, with the vanishing of the light, the evil energy that blanketed the town grew in strength. Quickening his pace, he ran as though a horde of Orcs were behind him and it was as he reached the edge of a roof that overlooked a populated courtyard that it all came together. Near the building was a serpent of monstrous size and, were they in Middle Earth, he would have sworn it had been born deep in the pits of Bara-dur. Outside of the courtyard and attacking from the other side were beings that looked like Men save for distorted features of their faces and the savagery with which they fought. More akin to the most bloodthirsty of Orcs they were and he counted this as a blessing for it was only because they possessed no weapons that their victims stood even a small chance.

It was a grouping of adults and those on the brink of what their kind considered adulthood that fought against both threats with weapons both familiar and decidedly not. Fearful that the one they sought stood in the middle of the battle, he used his keen eyesight to look for the face that Lady Galadrial had placed in each of their minds. Since he had first seen it with his mind's eye, he had done his best to memorize every feature so that no matter what obscured it he would know the heir of Nimrodel when he saw him. Peripherally noticing the departure of the giant serpent into the building, it took him less than a minute to find the one he sought and it was with some satisfaction that he saw the Lady of the Golden Wood's appraisal of the young man was accurate. There, with axe in hand and a small amount of skill, was the one that they needed to persuade to come back to Middle Earth cutting down foes while guarding the backs of his allies.

Fitting for one who might very well be asked to do the same for an entire kingdom of Men.

He'd been unprepared for what happened next as fire burst forth from the building the battle was taking place in front of, through every window and even through the roof itself. The sheer force of it could be felt flowing through the air as it carried bits of steel and stone with it dropping the debris on those still fighting below. This threw chaos into the ranks, both enemy and ally alike, injuring some while killing others, leaving little in the way of objective in the minds of either.

Worried for Nimrodel's heir, he looked back to where he'd seen the young man last and found his concern warranted for, in the space of a few seconds, the foul beasts pretending to be Men had knocked the axe from lad's hand and were preparing to slay him. Without hesitation he pulled and arrow from his quiver and, with skill born of many years of experience, he fired it at the one that posed the greatest threat. The moment he saw the creature go limp, he pulled another arrow out with the intent of clearing an area around Nimrodel's heir so that the one he sought could recover his weapon and his wits.

Again and again his arrows struck true and, by the time that the young man was back on his feet, both Gandalf as well as Halbarad had joined the fray. Using his arrows to keep the foul creatures in disarray, it did not take long before the enemy was either dead or had fled to preserve their foul existences. When it seemed as though the threat had ended, he made his way off his rooftop perch to the ground below and made to join the others of his group as they approached Nimrodel's heir.

"I don't know who you guys are but thanks for the help," the young man said, looking at each of them in turn. "Things were getting pretty intense there for a while."

"You are quite welcome, ernil," Gandalf said as though speaking to an old friend. "I must admit I had not expected to enter into battle when my friends and I strode forth to find you."

"Find me?" Nimrodel's heir asked with a wary tone of voice. "Why would you be looking for me and who are you guys exactly?"

This in his mind was confirmation enough that the young man had not been told much, if anything, about Middle Earth or its inhabitants. Sadly this would make their task harder for they would lack a connection with which to persuade him to come to their aid. Nevertheless he would abide the wisdom of the Lady of the Golden Wood in this matter and hope that by divulging the details of their plight the lad's inner nobility would do the rest.

"Oh my! Pardon my lack of manners," Gandalf said as if he'd forgotten to deliver a letter. "My name is Gandalf, this Halbarad of the Rangers and lastly Prince Legolas of the Woodland realm."

As he and the Ranger were introduced, they both nodded respectfully to one descended from such a famous elf as well as with the expectation that all would go well.

"As for why we have sought you out… well, perhaps that is a matter best spoken of in a more private setting," Gandalf said, casting a wary glance at the various people who were now giving them a closer look.

"Perhaps I can suggest a location." Came a chilling voice to their right.

Looking in that direction, he found a group of young ones on the edge of adulthood as Men reckoned such things and one man, old enough that one would usually not find others like him on the battlefield. All of the strangers looked at them with an air of wariness much like Nimrodel's heir and it would be a safe estimate that trust would be best earned by allowing them to control matters for the time being.

"If that would put you more at ease, good sir," Gandalf said, sounding completely accommodating. "Then please: lead on."

With that they left the area by foot and just in time for it seemed as though a great deal attention was being focused on the ruins of the building and that was something that they could do without.

His heart warned him that getting the wrong sort of attention in this dark town would make matters a great deal worse for all of them.


End file.
